Z
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Costa Gavras
Produced by	Jacques Perrin Ahmed Rachedi
Written by	Story: Vassilis Vassilikos Screenplay: Jorge Semprún Costa Gavras
Starring	Jean-Louis Trintignant Yves Montand Irene Papas Jacques Perrin
Music by	Mikis Theodorakis
Cinematography	Raoul Coutard
Editing by	Françoise Bonnot
Distributed by	Cinema V (USA)
Release date(s)	France: February 26, 1969
Running time	127 minutes
Country	Algeria France
Language	French
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Z is a 1969 French language political thriller directed by Costa Gavras, with a screenplay by Gavras and Jorge Semprún, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Gregoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its satirical view of Greek politics, its dark sense of humor, and its chilling ending, the film captures the sense of outrage about the military dictatorship that ruled Greece at the time of its making.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata CostaGavrasZ.jpg Summary Found at: http://wiki. ... Constantinos Gavras (born February 12, 1933, Loutra-Iraias, Greece), better known as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French filmmaker best known for films with overt political themes. ... Jacques Perrin (born July 13, 1941 in Paris) is a French actor and film maker. ... Vassilis Vassilikos (Βασίλης Βασιλικός) (born November 18, 1934) is a prolific Greek writer and diplomat. ... Jorge Semprún (1923 - ) is a Spanish writer and politician. ... Jean-Louis Trintignant (born on December 11, 1930 in Piolenc, Vaucluse, France) is a French actor. ... Yves Montand Yves Montand (October 13, 1921 – November 9, 1991) was a French/Italian actor, born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Alto, Italy. ... Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά, born September 3, 1926 in Corinth) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. ... Jacques Perrin (born July 13, 1941 in Paris) is a French actor and film maker. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Constantinos Gavras (born February 12, 1933, Loutra-Iraias, Greece), better known as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French filmmaker best known for films with overt political themes. ... Jorge Semprún (1923 - ) is a Spanish writer and politician. ... See also: 1965 in literature, other events of 1966, 1967 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Vassilis Vassilikos (Βασίλης Βασιλικός) (born November 18, 1934) is a prolific Greek writer and diplomat. ... MP and Greek anti-fascist resistance icon Gregoris Lambrakis marching alone in the banned Marathon–Athens Peace Rally on Sunday April 21, 1963, one month before his assassination Gregoris Lambrakis (Γρηγόρης Λαμπράκης) (April 3, 1912–May 27, 1963) was a Greek politician, physician, and member of the faculty of the School of... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The Greek military junta of 1967-1974, alternatively The Regime of the Colonels (Greek: ), or in Greece The Junta (Greek: ) and The Seven Years (Greek: ) are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. ...

Z stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as the investigating magistrate (an analogue of Christos Sartzetakis, who would many years later become President of Greece). International stars Yves Montand and Irene Papas also appear, but despite their star billing have very little screen time compared to the other principals. Jacques Perrin, who co-produced, plays a key role. Jean-Louis Trintignant (born on December 11, 1930 in Piolenc, Vaucluse, France) is a French actor. ... Christos Antoniou Sartzetakis (born 6 April 1929 - Thessaloniki) is a Greek jurist and an elder statesman. ... This is a list of presidents of Greece. ... Yves Montand Yves Montand (October 13, 1921 – November 9, 1991) was a French/Italian actor, born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Alto, Italy. ... Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά, born September 3, 1926 in Corinth) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. ... Jacques Perrin (born July 13, 1941 in Paris) is a French actor and film maker. ...

Plot

Yves Montand as a deputy resembling Gregoris Lambrakis.

The location of the action is never expressly stated (filming took place primarily in Algiers), but there are hints (such as a Greek typewriter) that it is Greece in the early 1960s. Furthermore, in the opening credits there is a counter-disclaimer which reads (in translation): "Any resemblance to real events, to persons living or dead, is not accidental. It is DELIBERATE." Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the capital of Algeria. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The story begins with the closing moments of a rather dull government lecture and slide show on agricultural policy, after which the leader of the security police of a right-wing military-dominated government takes over the podium for an impassioned speech describing the government's program to combat leftism, using the metaphors of "a mildew of the mind", an infiltration of "isms", or "sunspots". Right wing redirects here. ... See: espionage, urban exploration, entryism, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. ... The English suffix -ism was first used to form a noun of action from a verb, as in baptism, from baptein, a Greek word meaning to dip. Its usage was later extended to signify systems of belief. ...

The scene then shifts to preparations for a rally of the opposition faction where the Deputy (Montand) is to give a speech advocating nuclear disarmament. It is obvious that there have been attempts to prevent the speech's delivery. The venue has been changed to a much smaller hall and logistical problems have appeared out of nowhere. As the Deputy crosses the street from the hall after giving his speech, a delivery truck speeds past him and a man on the open truck bed strikes him down with a club. The injury eventually proves fatal, and by that time it is already clear to the viewer that the police have manipulated witnesses to force the conclusion that the victim was simply run over by a drunk driver.

Irene Papas as the deputy's wife

However, they do not control the hospital, where the autopsy disproves their interpretation. The examining magistrate (Trintignant), with the assistance of a photojournalist (Perrin), now uncovers sufficient evidence to indict not only the two right-wing militants who committed the murder, but also four high-ranking military police officers. The action of the film concludes with one of the Deputy's associates rushing to see the Deputy's widow (Papas) to give her the surprising news. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An inquisitorial system is a legal system where the court or a part of the court is actively involved in determining the facts of the case, as opposed to an adversarial system where the role of the court is solely that of an impartial referee between parties. ...

Instead of the expected positive outcome, however, the prosecutor is mysteriously removed from the case, key witnesses die under suspicious circumstances, the assassins, though convicted of murder, receive (relatively) short sentences, the officers receive only administrative reprimands, the Deputy's close associates die or are deported, and the photojournalist is sent to prison for disclosing official documents.

As the closing credits roll, before listing the cast and crew, the filmmakers first list the things banned by the junta. They include: peace movements, strikes, labor unions, long hair on men, The Beatles, other modern and popular music ("la musique populaire"), Sophocles, Leo Tolstoy, Aeschylus, writing that Socrates was homosexual, Eugène Ionesco, Jean-Paul Sartre, Anton Chekhov, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Mark Twain, Samuel Beckett, the bar association, sociology, international encyclopedias, free press, and new math. Also banned is the letter Z, which was used as a symbolic reminder that Lambrakis and by extension the spirit of resistance lives (zi = "he (Lambrakis) lives"). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An Australian anti-conscription poster from World War One A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or all wars), minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of... The Lawrence textile strike (1912), with soldiers surrounding peaceful demonstrators A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions, forming a cartel of labour. ... A man with long hair. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Greek tragedian. ... Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (September 9 [O.S. August 28] 1828 – November 20 [O.S. November 7] 1910) (Russian: , Russian pronunciation:  ), commonly referred to in English as Leo (Lyof, Lyoff) Tolstoy, was a Russian writer – novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher – as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. ... This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... This page is about the Classical Greek philosopher. ... Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco, born Eugen Ionescu, (November 26, 1909 – March 29, 1994) was a French-Romanian playwright and dramatist, one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd. ... Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980), normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (pronounced: ), was a French existentialist philosopher and pioneer, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is an English playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist. ... Edward Franklin Albee III (born March 12, 1928) is an American playwright known for works including Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, The Sandbox and The American Dream. ... Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humanist,[2] humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. ... This article is about the Irish writer. ... A bar association is a body of lawyers who, in some jurisdictions, are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession. ... Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge [1]) is the scientific or systematic study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture[2]. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous... Cyclopedia redirects here. ... In the modern age, the free press has taken on multiple meanings. ... New math is a term referring to a brief dramatic change in the way mathematics was taught in American grade schools during the 1960s. ... Zeta (upper case Ζ, lower case ζ) is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. ... MP and Greek anti-fascist resistance icon Gregoris Lambrakis marching alone in the banned Marathon–Athens Peace Rally on Sunday April 21, 1963, one month before his assassination Gregoris Lambrakis (Γρηγόρης Λαμπράκης) (April 3, 1912–May 27, 1963) was a Greek politician, physician, and member of the faculty of the School of...

Background

Poster

The French for "Il est vivant!" ("he is alive!") can be seen in the caption under the large Z, referring to the popular Greek protest slogan "Ζει" meaning "he (Lambrakis) lives." MP and Greek anti-fascist resistance icon Gregoris Lambrakis marching alone in the banned Marathon–Athens Peace Rally on Sunday April 21, 1963, one month before his assassination Gregoris Lambrakis (Γρηγόρης Λαμπράκης) (April 3, 1912–May 27, 1963) was a Greek politician, physician, and member of the faculty of the School of...

Cast

• Yves Montand as The Deputy
• Irene Papas as Helene, the Deputy's wife
• Jean-Louis Trintignant as The Examining Magistrate
• Jacques Perrin as Photojournalist
• Charles Denner as Manuel
• François Périer as Public Prosecutor
• Pierre Dux as The General
• Georges Géret as Nick
• Bernard Fresson as Matt
• Marcel Bozzuffi as Vago
• Julien Guiomar as The Colonel
• Magali Noël as Nick's Sister
• Renato Salvatori as Yago
• Habib Reda
• Clotilde Joano as Shoula

Yves Montand Yves Montand (October 13, 1921 – November 9, 1991) was a French/Italian actor, born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Alto, Italy. ... Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά, born September 3, 1926 in Corinth) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. ... Jean-Louis Trintignant (born on December 11, 1930 in Piolenc, Vaucluse, France) is a French actor. ... Jacques Perrin (born July 13, 1941 in Paris) is a French actor and film maker. ... Charles Denner (born May 29, 1926) – (died September 10, 1995) was a French actor. ... François Périer, (10 November 1919-29 June 2002), born François Pillu in Paris, was one of Frances most distinguished actors. ... Bernard Fresson (27 May 1931- 20 October 2002) was a legendary french cinema actor. ... Marcel Bozzuffi (28 October 1929 - 2 February 1988) was a French film actor. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Renato Salvatori (March 20, 1934 - March 27, 1988) was a prolific Italian multi-purpose character actor. ...

Critical reception

Film critic Roger Ebert liked the screenplay and its message, and wrote, "[Z] is a film of our time. It is about how even moral victories are corrupted. It will make you weep and will make you angry. It will tear your guts out...When the Army junta staged its coup in 1967, the right-wing generals and the police chief were cleared of all charges and "rehabilitated." Those responsible for unmasking the assassination now became political criminals. These would seem to be completely political events, but the young director Costa-Gravas has told them in a style that is almost unbearably exciting. Z is at the same time a political cry of rage and a brilliant suspense thriller. It even ends in a chase: Not through the streets but through a maze of facts, alibis and official corruption."^[2] Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, by Mikis Theodorakis, was also a record hit. Mikis Theodorakis (Greek: Μίκης Θεοδωράκης) (b. ...

The film featured, yet uncredited, Pierre Henry's contemporary hit song, "Psyché Rock." Pierre Henry (born December 9, 1927 in Paris, France) is a French composer, considered a pioneer of the musique concrète genre of electronic music. ...

Awards

Wins

• Cannes Film Festival: Best Actor, Jean-Louis Trintignant; Jury Prize, Costa-Gavras, Unanimously; 1969.
• New York Film Critics Circle Awards: NYFCC Award, Best Director, Costa-Gavras; Best Film; 1969.
• Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Film Editing, Françoise Bonnot; Best Foreign Language Film, Algeria; 1970. Note: It was the first film to be nominated for Academy Awards both for Best Foreign Language Film and for Best Picture.
• Golden Globes: Golden Globe, Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film, Algeria; 1970.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, Mikis Theodorakis; 1970.
• Edgar Award: Edgar, Best Motion Picture, Jorge Semprún and Costa-Gavras; 1970.
• National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA: NSFC Award Best Film; 1970.
• Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards 1970: Circle Awards: KCFCC Award, Best Foreign Film; 1971.

Nominations The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... The Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language Film is a yearly US award for the best film in a language other than English, released in the period October - September in the country of origin. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ... The National Society of Film Critics or NSFC is an American film critic organization. ...

• Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm, Costa-Gavras, 1969.
• Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Director, Costa-Gavras; Best Picture, Jacques Perrin and Ahmed Rachedi; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Jorge Semprún and Costa-Gavras; 1970.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film; Best Film Editing, Françoise Bonnot; Best Screenplay, Costa-Gavras and Jorge Semprún; UN Award; 1970.
• Directors Guild of America, USA: DGA Award, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Costa-Gavras; 1970.

Director Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard. ...

References

Notes

For the in-memory database management system, see In-memory database. ... is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Z at the Internet Movie Database
• Z at Allmovie
• Z background and analysis at Plaka

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